1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus for measuring pulse rate and pulmonary volume and/or pulmonary peak flow, and more particularly to portable apparatus for measuring pulse rate and pulmonary peak flow during exercise.
2. Brief Description of the Prior Art
In recent decades, extensive public education campaigns have made people in the industrialized world aware of the importance of exercise in fighting cardiovascular disease. Such campaigns, coinciding with general improvements in living conditions, have made possible the very rapid spread of sports such as skiing, tennis, and jogging. An increasing number of individuals involved in such sports have shown an interest in being able to take regular measurements of the physiological parameters which will allow them to check on the proper functioning of their bodies.
From the medical point of view, a considerable number of measurements of physiological functions are necessary for precise overall diagnosis of the state of health and conditioning of an athlete. Lacking the necessary knowledge, a layman can neither take nor interpret most of these measurements. However, there are certain basic measurements that the layman can use to check his own physical condition by comparing the measurements he takes to known average values. These measures are primarily: blood pressure, pulse rate at rest or during physical exertion, pulse recovery time after physical exertion, effective pulmonary volume, i.e., the volume of that part of the lungs used to exchange respiratory gases, and pulmonary peak flow. The effective pulmonary volume is also known as the vital capacity, i.e., the total lung volume less the residual volume or volume remaining after a complete or maximal expiration. The pulmonary peak flow is the flow rate of exhaled air at its maximum or peak value, expressed in liters per second and liters per minute. Mechanical and electronic instruments for taking separate measurements of these functions are known. There are also electronic instruments for measuring blood pressure and pulse rate. Instruments designed for measuring pulmonary volume are generally bulky and cannot be used with comfort by the individual during athletic activity. Sports medicine recognizes the value of regular and repeated measurements of blood pressure and pulse (cardiac functions), as well as of pulmonary functioning. Measurements of these physiological functions during and/or immediately following sustained athletic activity is also of great value in the determination of the athlete's state of conditioning.
Therefore, a need has continued to exist for a simple and portable apparatus which will provide the athlete with measurements of pulse rate, vital capacity, and/or pulmonary peak flow during exercise.